Detroit Pistons: Ranking the 5 best coaches since Chuck Daly

Detroit Pistons top head coaches #2: Larry Brown

I know some people will disagree with this, as Larry Brown put up a .659 winning percentage in 164 games and won a title, but I always thought he was given a bit too much credit, which is why I put him on my most overrated Pistons list even though he was a very good coach.

Brown was undoubtedly one of the best tacticians in the league (though leaving Robert Horry wide open to trap Ginobili in the corner wasn’t a great strategy it turns out), but I also think the Pistons would have won a title with Carlisle and that some of Brown’s antics were harmful to the Pistons title defense in the 2005 Finals.

I know this is all heresy to some fans, but I remember the constant rumors and drama that always came with Larry Brown and I do think there were a lot of coaches who could have won a title with that team, as the Pistons were stacked and very coachable.

I will always be grateful for Brown, as he did bring the Detroit Pistons a title, but I also wonder if they should have won more.

Detroit Pistons top head coaches #1: Flip Saunders

Even though Flip Saunders never won a title, he was very successful in his 246 games with the Pistons, going 176-70 for a .715 winning percentage, by far the best in team history.

I know everyone is focused on titles, but the Pistons had some very good teams under Saunders and got very close several times, including a 64-18 season, best in team history.

The Pistons just ran into some very good teams in the three Eastern Conference Finals Saunders coached them to and he was the longest tenured coach post-Chuck Daly. The Pistons lost to Dwyane Wade’s champion Heat, LeBron James’ and the Cavaliers, and the eventual champion Boston Celtics in three consecutive years. Heartbreaking, yes, but also nothing to be ashamed of as those teams had some all-time greats.

I know plenty of you are shaking your heads right now, as Saunders was often blamed for not getting the Pistons over the top, but if we’re being fair, the real culprit was Joe Dumars, who made some bad decisions and never really valued the good coaches that he had.

One thing that is not debatable is that the Pistons haven’t had a winning coach since, so let’s hope they can string a few good seasons together and get Coach Casey on the right side of .500.